


Heiress to the Serpent Reign

by Bluesbunny



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bisexuality, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, F/F, F/M, First Time, Fluff, Good Slytherins, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Rivalry, Harry Potter Has a Twin, Heir of Slytherin, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts First Year, Hogwarts Fourth Year, Hogwarts Second Year, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Hogwarts Third Year, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Insane Voldemort (Harry Potter), James Potter Lives, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter In Love, Lily Evans Potter Lives, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Modern Marauders (Harry Potter), Orphanage, POV Third Person, Pain, Past Child Abuse, Peter Pettigrew Bashing, Possessive Behavior, Prophecy, Protective James Potter, Protective Minerva McGonagall, Protective Remus Lupin, Protective Severus Snape, Protective Sirius Black, Remus Lupin Lives, Sane Tom Riddle, Secrets, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Sirius Black Lives, Slow Burn, Slytherin, Soulmates, Time Travel, Tragic Romance, War, Young Tom Riddle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29970213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluesbunny/pseuds/Bluesbunny
Summary: An alternative Harry Potter retelling in the form of Adelaide Potter, Harry Potter's assumed-deceased twin sister.In which Harry Potter's twin is thought to be dead.orIn which Adelaide Potter learns her purpose is for a prophecy.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Tom Riddle/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Heiress to the Serpent Reign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternative story retelling in the form of Adelaide Potter, Harry Potter's assumed-deceased twin sister.
> 
> In which Harry Potter's twin is thought to be dead.
> 
> or
> 
> In which Adelaide Potter learns her purpose is a prophecy.

**31 October, 1981**

**THE** ancient grandfather clock stood at a towering height beside the flickering fireplace, centred in the heart of Godric's Hollow. The almost silent ticks whispered tales of an early age; an era when craftsmanship was intended to last generations. The clock had marked every second since its birth; it had seen decades of life and spent every moment recording as it went, and it would continue to do so without error for many decades to come. The clock had not once met fault in its late life; it was truly a story for its own page.

The minute hand had seconds until it met midnight, the golden pendulum swung its hypnotising rhythm; a soft and meticulous, tranquil caper.

A chime resounded throughout the silent cottage. It was an echoing tune in itself; as it was the mark of twelve that set the beginning of a very salient day.

A soft breeze snaked through the crack in the ivory white windowsill beside the entrance doorway, creating a whining sigh that travelled through the night. The wind danced through the open space and disturbed anything lighter than a whisper. A bronze photo frame, carved with unique runes, swung languidly from the disturbance of the wind; it creaked slightly in protest and came to a reluctant stop moments later.

The seemingly quiet sounds resonated loudly in the muted night. The house, which usually harboured a moderate amount of noise, was an unusual quiet—so much it was deafening, yet nothing seemed to be out of place or pointing to a disturbance.

The wind spiralled around the living room and caressed everything in its path. The bronze photo frame was yet again disturbed, and the figures that resided inside of the picture scowled in distaste for less than a moment, before going back to how they were. Inside the frame stood a woman, no older than twenty, cradling a small child in the crook of her arm. She hugged the small baby in a protective hold as if subconsciously protecting him from the cruel word he had yet to experience. The baby was bundled in a blanket that resembled the same pigment as the ocean, and he slept soundlessly in the arms of his mother.

A mop of inky black hair coloured his scalp; a deep contrast to his mother's fiery red locks that curled in ringlets down her cheeks and framed her rounded face and adoring smile. Beside her stood a tall man, wearing wide, circular glasses and an equally wide adoring grin painted upon his lips. His cheeks were flushed red and his eyes crinkled at the corners from the strain of his smile; half of his exultation leaked from his reddened eyes. A dark mess of curls sat atop his head, slightly obscuring his vision as it fell from his forehead; but his gaiety was still visible from all angles. His hazel eyes were glued to the small child wrapped snugly in salmon-pink; she slept soundlessly in his soothing cradle. Her hair fell thickly along her scalp and was a burnt auburn colour; it seemed to have difficulty in choosing which parent to take after and settled on a mix of both. Her rosy lips parted to let soft breaths escape, and if it was possible, her father fell even further in love.

The wind carried the noise of its arrival up the decrepit staircase and along the rosewood bannister to a hall of ivory white. The hall was small and homely with four sets of doors along the corridor; each was a picture of abraded dark wood with a brass doorknob. The last door to the end of the hall stood opened to a slight crack, and a pool of cerulean light leaked into the open corridor.

A shuffle of noise came from beyond the threshold and inside revealed two twin cots placed side by side; each containing a small, sleeping child. The baby closest to the door lay cherubic with his limbs spread aloft. His chest rose and fell with every exhale and his thick eyelashes kissed his rosy cheeks as he slept. His button nose crinkled at the faint caress of the wind and he stirred in discomfort at the unwelcome temperature change. Across from him, in a similar cot, drowned in the colour pink, lay an identical baby girl curled in on herself. Her left hand clutched the pink ears of a taupe bunny rabbit in a tight hold as if it would galvanise the second she released her grip. The scarce wind became jaded with the disturbance of her brother and abandoned his stirring body to blanket her own.

The cool air graced her blanket-less form, stealing her body heat in the process. She stirred in her sleep and her small hands flexed around the bunny's ears before they blinked open. She blinked numerous times to adjust to the strain of transitioning from sleep to awareness and water collected in the corners of her eyes. She blinked once more and a single drop trickled down the expanse of her cheek, following a route down to the column of her neck.

The soft, cerulean glow that painted the walls distorted her sights, and she gripped her bunny in a tight hold, unsure if she should start properly crying.

Her room looked bizarre. She had only ever been awake when the pretty golden beams streamed through her window; she'd never been awake to witness what her room looked like in the middle of the night. Her doe eyes examined her surroundings. The source of the blue light— a tea light charmed to shine blue— on the opposite side of the room spiked her interest. She stared at it for a moment and made a move to grab at it, only to receive a handful of nothing and to lose her balance, promptly falling onto her face.

She pushed against the cotton mattress, and arched into a downward dog position, before pushing herself to stand upright on both feet. The uneven surface, combined with the fact she was still fairly new to walking caused her to stumble slightly. With determination bubbling in her stomach, she slowly stepped to the edge of her cot, stumbling excessively doing so, and grabbed a hold of the wooden beam. She pouted at the block in her path.

How was she supposed to reach the pretty blue light when she was trapped in her bed?

She ran her hands along the wood and pushed with all her weight, nothing but a sharp creak met her efforts. Something cold singed at her palm and flinched and quickly retracted her hand. Bending down, she squinted at the shiny latch on the dark wood and her interest soon diverged from the blue light. She slowly reached her chubby finger forward and poked at the metal, a giggle burst from her pursed lips after a shock of cold went through her arm. Both hands came to fumble with the metal.

She entertained herself with the metal for a few minutes until, out of nowhere, the silver bar split down the middle and a loud groan came from the foot of the wooden beams— that being her only warning before the whole side of the cot she was leaning against gave way with a quieter than expected squeak. She wobbled on her feet and leaned forwards— off-balanced, and almost tipped over after the edge if it wasn't for her teddy becoming jammed between two, thin beams of wood.

She frowned at the small freight and turned to pull her bunny from where it was stuck. She tugged once, twice, but nothing happened. She whined and tugged more frantically before renouncing her efforts. A slither of irritation sneaked from her heart, but she didn't quite understand that emotion yet and decided to ignore it. The light flickered and the flash of blue once again caught her attention.

What was it she wanted again?

She crawled on all fours to the open area; she could crawl better than she could walk, and she really wanted to play with the pretty blue light.

Her feet met the cold floorboards and she crept towards the flickering light. Her small hand stretched outwards and— "ow!"

A sharp burning pain replaced the once cool temperature of her palm. The abrupt pain caught her off guard and she stumbled back with her palm clutched to her chest. The pain was intense for her small body and it shot up her arm, following the path of her underdeveloped muscles and burrowed inside her torso. Her mouth opened in a pained gasp and her eyes widened to twice their normal size. She shook her hand away from her body in an attempt to shake away the burning pain, but it remained in its place, throbbing angrily as if scorned. Her bottom lip trembled and the back of her eyes collected moisture, she sniffed and squeezed her eyes shut; her nose crinkling and cheeks flushing scarlet. She didn't want to cry. Mummy always came when she cried and she really wanted her mummy... but then she'd be trapped again and she really didn't want to fall back asleep.

She was okay. She was fine.

In her affliction, she failed to notice the pretty blue light had gone. She really wanted to cry now. It was dark, really dark; it seeped through the cracks in the floorboards and drew slithers from corners and crevices. She shivered as something akin to fear settled in her stomach. Her room felt so much bigger than it once was and she felt so much smaller than usual. The darkness crawled up and around her; it descended down her spine and clutched her tightly in its onyx arms. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest with little time to wait between each beat. She held her breath and scurried to where she knew the door would be. Her hands latched around the opened gap and she pried it open with little resistance.

It was colder out in the hall. A soft breeze manipulated the small ringlets that sat atop of her head, it felt nice; like a soft caress by a hand that was weightless. She followed it as it ran from its source and danced along the corridor behind her.

Her steps were light and uneven, she stumbled a great deal and fell onto her backside a number of times, but she was successful in reaching the top of the aged staircase. It was less intimidating in the dark.

She sat on the floor at the top of the staircase and pushed her weight forwards until she fell onto the next step. The distance between each step wasn't anything immense, but it still winded her when her body met the solid ground. She repeated her technique until she got to the last step. She pulled herself to a standing position with the help of the rosewood bannister and followed the source of the wind.

A pool of silver bled past the glass barrier of the window beside the entrance doors. The night sky was picturesque; jet-black faded into a dark navy and an abundance of ivory white flames painted the sky in constellations; it was a model backdrop for the almost-full moon that loomed blazingly in the sky; surrounded by an ethereal glow that twinkled for miles. It was a clear picture in the night, and almost every crater was visible to the naked eye.

The pale moonlight projected into the doe eyes of the small girl, and she stood with wide eyes in the dimly lit room, awestruck by its allure.

The stars twinkled as if winking at her and she giggled in pleasure. The pretty view almost made her forget about the stinging in the palm of her hand, but it was biting away at her from the back of her mind. She cupped her injured hand with her other one and brought it to her face so she could examine it in the scarcely-there light.

Her eyes left the outside for only a moment, but that moment was consequently limitless.

A flash of green appeared through the window, it shone so brightly and so quickly it left her stunned. It completely illuminated the living room and left no crook or crevice untouched. Her vision completely disappeared and then slowly faded back in a show of white, her head spun and stars collected before her eyes. Following only seconds after the abrupt light, was a thunderous crack; resembling the strike of thunder. It sent a low vibration coursing through the earth, snaking through the underground pipes and rattling up the foundation of the house. The pavement outside split and concrete vines formed from the stress of the vibrations. Fear stabbed her in the gut. She didn't like loud noises.

She stood unmoving as the vibrations came to a slowing stop. The house stopped shaking and everything almost seemed silent; the only sounds that broke through her internal panic was the frantic rushing resounding from above her.

It was quiet for a moment; the calm before the storm.

Then there was a show of sparks, and the main entrance was torn from its standing position on the threshold. The wood split at the beams and a great gaping hole replaced the once rich oak. The photo frame fell from its holding place and cracked once it met the floor, the glass fled from its frame. Bits of debris scattered around the flooring, even becoming lodged in the walls. It was a canvas of havoc, and it was fixing to become a famous piece.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from the destruction; she couldn't comprehend what had just happened— what was happening. But she could focus on the colours. She was good at that.

Even more silver pooled in from the gaping hole, this time mixed with sage. It swirled down from above and fused with the glinting moonlight. It looked pretty, but something told her she couldn't like it.

Something— a shape— appeared in the formerly known doorway. Tall and gangly, it leered in the open night. The moon shone on the figure's back; leaving a sparse amount of light to illuminate his anterior. His build was his only distinctive feature and it was similar to her fathers; but more skinny and grotesque. His shoulders looked like they were protruding from his sides and his neck looked unusually long. Floor-length robes concealed most of his frame and they hung loosely around his body, as if afraid of his touch. Although his face was concealed, she knew his eyes were glued to her. The ringing in her hears halted for a moment as he stood there, unmoving, just staring at her. Why was he just staring at her?

A hoarse voice resonated from far away, breaking through to her awareness.

"Lily——.... he's here——.... the kids!"

Parts of the voice's words were muffled like it was screaming with a block in its airway and only certain words broke through to her conscious.

The figure stepped forward into the light and revealed a sight that had her close to collapsing.

Crimson red peaked through slits of chalky skin and they stared at her, glazed over with malicious intent. A human nose was absent from his face, two slits for nostrils replaced the appendage. His skin was pale, almost transparent and looked to be stretched to its limit over his skull. Veins protruded from underneath his skin, they painted rivers of out-of-place colour that was visible in contrast from his pale complexion. His pencil-thin mouth curved into a crooked smile, and his skin look seconds away from splitting due to the inhuman strain it looked to be causing.

He drew forth a bone-like stick from the cavernous pocket of his midnight black robes and pointed it at her face. His aim was lopsided, and if he were to move a few feet forward, the tip of his wand would meet just underneath her right eye.

Thudding came from the staircase she had descended moments before. His grin became even more crooked and gruesome, he opened his mouth and began to speak with a mutter. "Well, haven't you made my job easier..." His voice was a rough gyrate that was borderline painful to her ears.

There was an abrupt noise at the living room door, and it slammed open with a powerful force. It collided roughly with the adjacent wall that sent a resounding slam throughout the room. She flinched. The man's grin crawled further up his cheeks.

A man with a pair of circular glasses that fell halfway down his nose appeared at the living room doorway. His face was twisted with the type of fear that consumed your entire being, his skin paled and his eyes darkened with torture as he laid eyes on the scene before him.

"No, no— Adelaide!"

The spell was muttered before he could act. Her whole world was consumed by green so bright it blinded her.

The last she heard on that very night— the night she lost who she could've become—was a deafening bawl, consumed entirely by anguish; it coursed through her entire being, filling her with a mirrored pain, and carved itself deeply into the back of her mind where it would remain and haunt her for the rest of her life.


End file.
